+1 in Bureaucracy Death Toll

Sam Morrish, 3 years old

Dead

Sam was vomiting blood.  The lazy workers in the UK's government-run health care system didn't think it was serious.  Sam is dead now.

UK Telegraph:

Sam Morrish was vomiting what appeared to be blood when staff at NHS Direct gave the case low priority and wrongly recorded crucial information provided by his parents.

When they failed to help, his desperate mother contacted the local GP out-of-hours service, where an unqualified call handler wrongly informed her that a nearby “treatment centre” would be able to help, when in fact he should have been sent immediately to Accident and Emergency.

Not to worry.  An investigation will be conducted.  Employees will go through remedial training.  Processes will be reviewed and updated.  Staffing levels will be evaluated.  And the check box "Are you vomiting blood?" will be added to the patient's form.